1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel hydroxamic acid and N-hydroxyurea derivatives. The compounds of the present invention inhibit the enzyme lipoxygenase, and are useful in the treatment or alleviation of inflammatory diseases, allergy and cardiovascular diseases in mammals. This invention also relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds and to the use of such compounds in treating inflammatory diseases, allergy and cardiovascular diseases in mammals. This invention further relates to methods of making such compounds.
Arachindonic acid is known to be the biological precursor of several groups of endogenous metabolites, prostaglandins including prostacyclins, thromboxanes and leukotrienes. The first step of arachidonic acid metabolism is the release of arachidonic acid and related unsaturated fatty acids from membrane phospholipids, via the action of phospholipase. Free fatty acids are then metabolized either by cyclooxygenase to produce the prostaglandins and thromboxanes or by lipoxygenase to generate hydroperoxy fatty acids which may be further converted to the leukotrienes. Leukotrienes have been implicated in the pathophysiology of inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, gout, asthma, ischemia reperfusion injury, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease. Any drug that inhibits lipoxygenase is expected to provide significant new therapy for both acute and chronic inflammatory conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently several review articles on lipoxygenase inhibitors have been reported (See H. Masamune et al., Ann. Rep. Med. Chem., 24, 71-80 (1989) and B. J. Fitzsimmons et al., Leukotrienes and Lipoxygenases, 427-502 (1989).
Compounds of the same general class as the compounds of the present invention are disclosed in EP 279263 A2, EP 196184 A2, JP 63502179 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,809.